Valentines
by remiboi
Summary: Four girls from a certain Literature Club try their best to give their mutual crush, a Valentine's Day gift. COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Since it's Valentine's Day, I felt like making a story for the occasion literally last minute. Unlike my other story, it's not going to be long. Oh and if you haven't read it, I'm going to be using the same names into this one. Also a few references here and there.**

**Anyways, enjoy. Rest of the chapters will come on a later date. **

* * *

"There has to be something here that would work..."

In a dimly lit room, a young maiden scrolls down through the text results of her web browser. It was obvious that this person was frustrated. It was evident by her furrowed eyebrows and the sound of her impatient tapping her fingernails onto the table.

She placed one hand on her cheek and lets out a sigh. "Just as I thought, these types of things are just way to embarrassing for me…"

Now you may ask yourself: just who exactly is this girl?

She wore a white tank top that accentuated her emerald colored eyes and a pair of navy pajamas to compliment it. Her coral brown hair was kept into a ponytail by a black scrunchie. The girl in question was none other than Monika Tachibana. From afar, she may seem like a normal person to the eyes of society. But normal is just an understatement.

As said by many who attend a certain high school, she was undoubtedly beautiful. Many have compared her to the afterglow of a setting sun, sitting behind the horizon of an ocean. Or to painted masterpiece created by a brilliant artist that could make anyone go crazy for. Her smooth and fair white skin, her captivating eyes, her warm smile that can melt even the coldest of hearts, and her smooth and silky hair all point to this.

But not only is she applauded for her beauty, but she is also praised for her accomplishments in her high school. Dokisai High School is nothing but prestigious. It was a school that had high expectations and is even considered to be one of the best in the prefecture.

Yet for this girl, it all seemed to be light work for her.

Not only is she one of the most athletic in her grade, but she is also one of the smartest. In her first year of attending Dokisai, she grew to power after becoming the star of the Debate Club. After her rise, everyone would soon know the name Monika Tachibana and her accomplishments.

But ultimately, she left in her second year. The reason? To get away from the politics and form a club of her own that suits her interests well.

In summary, she was the most desirable girl anyone would want. From looks to brains and brawn, she has it all. But how can a girl with this many accomplishments be so frustrated at 11 pm at night?

It was simple of course; it was the eve of Valentine's Day! The most anticipated day of the week!

Valentine's Day is a time where boys get restless and girls get excited. It was a day where girls all over Japan give their gifts of chocolate to their male friend, whether it be obligatory or something a bit more than that.

Of course, in this case, she wanted it to be in her words, "special" for a certain someone. If it wasn't, we wouldn't even have this story in the first place.

Monika was currently looking for the perfect way to give her Valentine's gift to her crush. But to no avail, she found none that suited her. She found many methods; putting the gift into their shoe locker, sneaking it in into their desk and the most common but most embarrassing one to her was giving it to him up front.

She blushed at the thought of it. The scenario itself was just way too embarrassing for her. Monika felt like she would die from it if she ever got caught.

But who was the target of her affection?

It must have been someone worthy of such beauty and accomplishments of her caliber. Someone who is able to stand on the same platform as her. Someone who is equally as powerful with their reputation in the student body.

But to this, it was none of the above and was someone you would least expect.

Too many of the students attending Dokisai, it would seem like there wasn't anything special about him.

_(Well actually, he did have an interesting past. But that's for a different story.)_

Sure, maybe to a few girls they may think of him as cute, but that's about it. It was like he was just there. Just another high school student trying to survive another day at school.

It was none other than her newest member of the Literature Club, Ryota Shujinkou. With a pair of amber eyes and messy brown hair, it really did seem like he was just your average student. Being the tallest member of the club (beating the second tallest by an inch at 5'6), he was brought in by her Vice President.

Besides being thrilled of gaining a new club member, Monika had originally thought nothing of him. Just a former classmate back when she was just in her first year.

But as time went on, she began to form feelings for him. At first, she didn't notice. But after spending time with him in and occasionally outside of the club, it was only then when she realized that her heart only beats faster around him.

Was it the kindness that he shows to the rest of his club members? His sense of humor which never failed to make her laugh? His sweet smile that in return makes herself smile unknowingly? The warmth in his eyes that eases the soul? Or was it that he started to treat her like a normal girl instead of a living Goddess after getting to know her? It was uncertain at the most.

Monika sighs once more as she shuts down her computer. She takes off her scrunchie, letting the curtains of her long brown hair down before heading towards the comfort of her bed.

Immediately she thinks of tomorrow. It was like Judgement Day for her. Just the thought of it was enough to make her face burn red once more. Quickly, she grabs her cat-shaped pillow to bury her face in and kicks her legs in embarrassment.

As her heart rate calms down, she lessened her grip and sighed. "I really hope that it will work out for me tomorrow…"

Turning around to the nightstand next to her, was her gift for him. It was a small plastic bag wrapped with a white ribbon. In it was the proof of her own hard work. After weeks of preparation and _many _failed attempts, she was able to make a batch of homemade balls of chocolate edible enough.

With a blush, she slowly takes the small plastic bag and puts it above her face as she lays down.

'_Hopefully he likes it…' _She thought. '_Should… should I confess to him tomorrow?' _

The tempo of her heart starts to beat faster at the thought of a confession. It was the perfect day to do so she thought. She would only have to find a way to set it up without anyone finding out...

Then doubts had started to invade her mind. Thoughts of him rejecting her were enough to leave a sting directly in her heart. If green-eyed maiden _did_ get rejected, she wouldn't know what to do. After all, it _was_ her first crush she ever had on someone.

But both fortunately and unfortunately, she unknowingly loosened her grip on the small plastic bag. Her gift landing straight onto her forehead, leaving a light sting. It had caused her doubtful thoughts to finally dissipate.

"Ow…"


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Aw man I'm lazy. **

* * *

**The next morning: Valentine's Day.**

As the train comes to a halt at its stop, the doors slowly open, allowing a flood of students wearing matching uniforms out. They all wore a warm grey blazer and under it was a contrasting orange sweater vest with a white shirt. For males, they were wearing a red tie and navy pants. As for females, they wore a red ribbon instead of a tie and a navy skirt of course.

The crowd of students soon dissipates, allowing a tired Ryota Shujinkou to finally leave. With one hand in his pocket, he covers his mouth with the other to yawn. Immediately he stops and waits for someone else.

"Come on Sayori, let's go already."

And like so, out came a girl. She had almost tripped as she got out before catching herself.

The girl in question was named Sayori Akimoto, the clumsy childhood friend of Ryota and the Vice President of a certain Literature Club.

To describe her, she was like the sun. Always full of energy that never runs out. One could say it was the amounts of sweets that she enjoys eating. But it was a mystery how she kept that slim body of hers.

Unlike most other girls in the school, she had her blazer unbutton, while her red clip-on ribbon was attached to her messy coral pink hair.

"Woah, you okay there Sayori?" Ryota had asked.

With a bright smile, Sayori tidied herself up before shooting a soft smile. "Yup! No need to worry!"

"Alright then. Let's hurry up."

The duo had met when they were only seven-years-old, just a few days after she had moved into the neighborhood.

After being rescued from being lost by a younger Ryota in the park, she had quickly befriended him. The rest was history once she had transferred into his class in elementary school.

Sayori had been a clingy girl around him during that time. After all, he was her only friend back then before she came out her shy shell. It didn't help the fact that they live relatively close to each other.

But whether willingly or not, childhood friends would usually drift away from each other. But however, it would not be the case for that. They had gone through both elementary and middle school together. And somehow she had been accepted into Dokisai in her words, "by a miracle."

All in all, childhood friends are a good thing to have, and they were the definition of it.

But the downside is that they will remember everything. Even the darkest of histories...

With a mischievous smile, Sayori suppressed a giggle. "Sure thing, _Baha_-mhmp?!" **[1]**

She was cut off by her childhood friend's hand covering her lips. "Sayori!" With a blush on his face, he quickly took a look around his surroundings. "What did I say about calling me _that _name?!" He quietly scolded as he released his hand.

Sayori found herself furrowing her eyebrows as she puffed her red cheeks. "I was just joking meanie!"

He can only sigh as he rubbed the back of his head. "Still, please don't use that name at all or even mention it. I wouldn't hear the end of it by Natsuki if she ever found out you know."

"Boo~ You're no fun Ryota!"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's go already."

As they quietly went on their way, Sayori had opted to stay close behind him. With a light pink blush, she stared at his open hand. Oh how much she wished to just hold it once like back then...

It was until a few years ago when she harbored feelings for the young man. When she questioned herself why she was so self-conscious around him during the start of middle school, that's when she realized after weeks of denial.

But despite this, she couldn't bring herself to say it. Not just yet. She had a certain feeling. A feeling of uncertainty if he truly did feel the same as her. And it really did pain her.

That's why she wanted to remain close to him until she was ready.

Quickly, she caught up by his side. With a grin on her face, Ryota couldn't help but notice.

"Hmm? What do you need Sayori?"

"Do you know what day is it Ryota?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Well, it's a Thursday I think."

"No silly, like you know, what _day _is it?"

"I'm not really following what you're saying…"

She sighs as she stops at the gate of the school. "_How dense can he be?" _She thought.

The young man lets out a nervous laugh under his breath. Just what's so important about today? He decided to take action by taking a peek at his smartphone. "Ah. So it's Valentine's Day, huh? I guess I forgot."

Her cheeks began to burn as the tempo of her heartbeat quickens. _Now's my chance! _Quickly she starts to unzip her bag. "Well, that's why I- Eh?!"

The sight of Ryota nonchalantly holding out his hand interrupted her. Suprise had appeared on the maiden's face. "Well? What are waiting for?"

"But- H-how did you know that I had some for you?!"

He scratches the back his head. "Well. It's not really anything new. I mean, you always give me an obligatory gift on Valentines."

"A-ah… Well, yeah you're right…" She trailed off.

"I mean last year you tried stuffing my gift into my mailbox. You know my mom got really mad at you that one day."

Sayori blushed at the thought of the embarrassing memory when his mother caught her. "Ehehe... Sorry again…" She apologized as she brings the tips of her fingers together. Never again did she want to go through that again.

"Oh and during our last year of middle school you- Wait." The young man's pauses for a minute as his face grimaces. An upsetting memory had invaded his mind. "N-never mind, that's dark territory. We don't talk about those days again…" He shivered as he remembered his middle school adventures.

The coral pink haired girl nodded in agreement. "Yeah… I really don't know what you were thinking back then…" She quickly was reminded of his foolish behavior in middle school, and the embarrassment he caused to himself unknowingly until it was too late. Yet, despite this, she stuck by him.

Was it because she felt somewhat pity for him for having no friends? Or was it because of the feelings that she developed? Or maybe a bit of both?

Sayori sighs as she takes out her gift; a small baby blue box wrapped by a white ribbon. "Well, you caught me." Not wanting to let her crush see her face, she looks at her shoes while presenting it. "H-here. Happy Valentines Day Ryota…"

A chuckle escaped his lips as he takes his gift. With a quick tap on the top of her head with the box, he caught her attention. "I'm not really popular with girls sadly. So I really do appreciate the gift." He pauses for a moment before looking away.

Sayori's eyes start to widen at the sight of her childhood friend faintly blushing in embarrassment as he scratches his cheek. "So thanks I guess…"

Her heart starts to beat rapidly. She wasn't sure if he had noticed her distinctive red face right now as she tried to hide it. But ultimately, a grin had formed on it. "Y-you're welcome!"

A sigh escapes his lips. "How embarrassing..." He muttered silently as he shook his head. "Anyways Sayori, let's go-"

"Ah!" His childhood friend interrupted him as she looked at her phone. "Sorry Ryota!" She loudly apologized before dashing away. "I forgot that I had to help out one of the teachers before classes! I'll see you at the club later!" She bids farewell with a wave of her hand.

"I'll pay you back during White Day! **[2]**" Ryota yelled loud enough for her to hear. In confusion, he scratches the back of his head. "Was it something I said?" He silently questioned before heading inside.

Unknowingly to him, she was lying of course. It was all just an excuse to get away from that situation that made her heart race. There was no way that she could face him now in this state. Only until her heart calmed down.

And as for the young energetic maiden, she caught her breath as she turns around the corner. She slid down against a nearby wall, sitting as she covered her blushing face with both hands. "He's so cute when he blushes!" She squealed as she shook her head.

The image of him blushing was etched inside of her head. It was the start of a good day for her already.

* * *

**[1] Straight reference to my other fic, **_**Doki Doki Chuunibyou Club. **_**If you're familiar what a chuunibyou is or have watched the anime, you know where I'm going with this. Basically, chuunibyou (also known as middle school second-year syndrome) is when a teenager that wants to stand out so much believes in the delusion that they have some sort of special powers. It's the source of ones most embarrassing moments in life.**

**In this case, our protagonist was a victim in this, calling himself "Bahamut" when he was in middle school and Sayori was just teasing him about it. I thought it is nice to add it in because to me, it makes their friendship more meaningful. Well at least in my opinion.**

**Anyways, if you want to go read that fic, it's always appreciated. (Sorry for the shameless plug!)**

**[2] White Day is the day that's marked one month after Valentines Day (March 14th). In Asian countries, when men who received Valentines Day gifts by women are expected to return the favor back by giving gifts.**


	3. Chapter 3

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

They say that during moments of extreme stress and anxiety, you should always take a quick breather. Apparently, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax, allowing you to think more clearly.

Yet for the quiet girl named Yuri Shizuka, it wasn't really working for her.

She felt her heart beating out of her chest, and with a beat red face, she anxiously takes one more good look at her surroundings. Despite not seeing any other students around her, she couldn't help but shake the feeling of being watched. If someone had witnessed what she was going to do, she would probably die from embarrassment. Just the thought of it had made her anxiety skyrocket into a new level!

'_Perhaps… perhaps it would be better off not giving it to him after all…'_ Yuri thought. '_He probably would think it would be a nuisance anyway…'_

Yet despite these thoughts, she shook it off. She had come so far already; it would only be right to see through it until the end. Especially since it was for someone whom she deeply cherished.

With sweaty hands, she unzips her school bag and slowly takes out a small box of chocolate, and turned towards crush's, Ryota Shujinkou, shoe locker.

Admittedly, she had fallen for the young man rather quickly. Yuri was a gentle and shy girl, preferring to be around books rather than socializing with her peers. It was hard for the young maiden to interact with others, her introverted personality made it so. That's why she felt at peace whenever it was just her with a novel in hand, allowing the words to take her into a new world.

But when Ryota was brought in by the Vice President of her club, she decided to try and come out of her shell to make a new friend. She had heard many good things about him; hopefully, he would be the perfect candidate for a newly formed friendship.

Now, what would be a good way to start off on the right foot? By giving him a gift of course! Since he was the newest member of the Literature Club, she thought it would be nice to give him a warm and friendly welcome to start it off.

So, she went ahead and got an extra copy of her favorite book. While he did say he didn't read that much, there was a small piece of hope that resonated in her. It didn't hurt to try; perhaps if he did read it, it would give her a chance to discuss with him and become friends. What she didn't expect was that he insisted to read the book together with her. It was a surprise, but she didn't want to come off as rude so she said yes.

Within a few weeks of reading together, he had unknowingly wormed into her gentle heart successfully. Sure, he wasn't the best at poetry or literature in general, but that didn't matter at all. His personality, jokes, and overall kindness had made it possible.

And his looks. Her violet eyes couldn't help but wander towards his alluring features, making it hard to focus on her reading. His warm amber eyes, his soft and kissable lips, his beautiful brown hair…

But as much as she fell for him, she wasn't sure if he had felt the same. Compared to the other girls of the Literature Club that he's also close with, why would he pick her?

Sayori is his cheery and bubbly childhood friend. Natsuki is fierce but contrasted to her personality, anything she does would be considered as cute. Monika is not only the most popular and beautiful girl in the school but also the most athletic and intelligent.

As for Yuri? Shy old Yuri Shizuka? She was just a bookworm with no other redeeming qualities she thought. She stutters a lot. She's painfully shy. She's awkward around others. There was no way that Ryota would be interested in a girl like her.

Sure, she may have attractive physical features that cause jealousy in other girls. With a large bust and a pretty face, undoubtedly it caught the eyes of many boys. But that's about it.

And it pained her.

But even so, this didn't stop her. As much as she doubted herself, she still wanted to experience love with all that she has. She just wanted him to look her way as the shy and introverted girl she was.

Her heartbeat quickened as she nervously gulped. Slowly but surely, her hand moved closer to his shoe lockers handle. All she had to do was open and place it inside. Quick and simple.

Just. Open. The. Damn. Locker-

"Yuri? Is that you?"

She froze.

Her whole world collapsed as she recognized the voice that always made her heart flutter in joy. Only this time it filled her with fear and embarrassment. Slowly, with a red blush on her face, she faced Ryota Shujinkou standing by the entryway.

The young man slowly walks up to her with a smile on his face. The shy maiden quickly hides her chocolate behind her back on instinct. "Good morning Yuri. I never really see you around this time."

"G-g-good morning Ryota!" Yuri stammered as she averted her violet eyes, "Um… how are you?"

"Good. And you?"

"I-I'm fine as well…"

"That's good, anyways what are you doing here?"

Mission abort! _**MISSION ABORT!**_

"A-ah! N-no particular reason! I was just passing by..." Slowly, Yuri backed away from his shoe locker, allowing him access. "S-sorry."

He scratches the back of his head. "Well, alright then. I guess I'll see you at the club later."

A downcast expression appeared on her face. "O-oh, well I suppose so. I'll see you later then…" The young girl said sadly as she slowly walks away in shame. She takes a good look at the gift she prepared once more, examining it. A small white box, wrapped around with a red ribbon. It was all for him, yet she couldn't hand it to him.

'_Am… am I really that weak?' _Yuri thought as a frown appeared on her face. Tears had threatened to fall. Truly this girl was frustrated with herself. Even though her feelings for her crush were true, she didn't have enough courage.

What was the point of going through the trouble of getting these chocolates?

"…"

What was the point of trying so hard?

"..."

What was the point of falling in love if she couldn't even give him a simple Valentine's Day gift?

...

...

...

She stopped dead in her tracks. With a deep breath in, she turns around to face her fears.

She found her resolve.

"A-actually Ryota!"

The young man in question closes his shoe locker after putting on his white school slippers. He faced a stiff Yuri who was currently staring at the floor with her hands behind her back. "Huh? What's up?"

Yuri felt like she was sweating bullets as a deep dark red blush had taken form on her face. "Um!" While still looking down at her feet, she presented her gift as she slightly bowed. "Valentine's Day gift…! F-for you!"

'_I… I did it! Oh my, I actually did it! But… I messed up! Uuuuuu…. You've done it now Yuri, he probably-'_

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the box of chocolate being taken out of her hands. As she looked up, she saw her crush flashing a genuine smile at her.

"You know Yuri, I didn't really expect to get any type of chocolates from anyone besides Sayori." He scratches the back of his head once more, a light blush appearing on his face. "So thanks. I mean it."

Her heartbeat quickened as a smile grew on her face. She felt so happy hearing those words from him; it really did feel like she was being rewarded.

"You're welcome Ryota..." She said softly as she fidgets her hands. It was at this point where her heart couldn't take it anymore. Yuri's face was now red as a tomato as she desperately tried to hide it. It was time for her retreat. "A-anyways! Please excuse me!" The flustered girl said as she bowed right before running off into the halls.

Ryota took a good look at his second gift before looking back where Yuri once was. He felt a blush grow on his face and scratched his red right cheek.

'_Was she always this cute…?'_ He shook his head._ 'What am I thinking…' _

Meanwhile, Yuri didn't really run that far. One, because she didn't want to break any school rules and two, she didn't want to disappoint her parents. Putting her back against the wall of the nearest corner, she covers her face in embarrassment. "I can't believe I actually did it…" Slowly, her hands descended from her face to her now calm heart. A smile had appeared on her face once more. '_The important part is that I gave it to him… So that's good.'_

_..._

_..._

_..._

Unbeknownst to both of them, someone really was watching them the whole time. As soon as the coast was clear, Monika Tachibana came out from her hiding spot behind one of the rows of the shoe lockers. She readjusted her snow white bow which was used to keep her coral brown hair tied into a ponytail.

It was a weird feeling that she felt after watching the whole interaction in secret. She felt proud of her shy friend mustering up the courage to give someone a Valentine's Day gift. It was a huge accomplishment for an introvert like her. But on the other hand… she felt jealous and a bit envious. Who wouldn't be after seeing someone give a Valentine's Day gift to her crush like that?

And as much as she wanted to sabotage and mess up Yuri's chances with him… she just couldn't. Yuri was like a sister to her, and she didn't want to hurt her like that. She wouldn't be able to bear it. And it went for the rest of her club members too. Sayori, Natsuki… they all were friends that she holds dear to her heart.

Even so, she still didn't want to lose to any one of them.

With a determined face, she found her resolve. "I have got to give it to him today… No matter what!"

* * *

**AN: Whoops, it's been a while since I've last updated. I also need to start working on my main fic too. Anyways, there are only two chapters left and I'm trying to finish it by the 14th of this month (March 14th- White Day!) Anyways, I'm not sure if I will even hit that deadline, since I'll be busy with a few certain things relating to school and sports, but I'll try my best.**

**Vlada: Hey there. Sorry for the late response, since you don't have an actual account, I couldn't find a way to contact you. Anyways if you can make an account so we can communicate, it would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

'_No way. There's just no way. Me liking THAT guy? I absolutely can't accept that. I just… I just felt bad for him! Yeah, that's it. That's why I made it for him!_

* * *

**PIN-PON-PAN-PON**

As the sounds of the Winchester chimes ring throughout the halls of Dokisai High School, Monika quickly gets up and leaves her classroom, gift in hand.

The lunch period would be a perfect time to strike, all she had to do was bring Ryota out from his classroom (most of the time eating his lunch in class anyway) and give him the gift. While she could have simply waited until club time, she refused. The school idol wanted it to be just the two of them. It wouldn't be as meaningful if the rest of her club members were there too.

Her plan to give the gift was simple.

Step 1: Go to his classroom.

Step 2: Quietly signal him to come outside.

Step 3: Make sure no one else is around.

Step 4: Give him the gift.

…

…

…

Optional Step 5: Confess your love.

She placed a hand over her beat red cheeks, shaking her head from the thought of it. "No, no, I can't think about that just yet!" She said silently, "I have to at least give it to him…"

As she approached his classroom, she wonders what his reaction would be if she did confess. Would he be happy? Excited? Confused?

Would… would he dislike it? But is there even a reason for him to dislike it? Doubts yet again filled her mind as she trotted to his classroom.

The brunette soon realized this wasn't the least of her problems. As she peaked through his classroom window door, her crush was nowhere near in sight.

_'Huh? Where is he?'_ She wondered.

Just then, the front classroom door slid open as an older woman with her dark raven hair tied up, wearing matching black formal attire stepped out. It was one of his teacher whose name had slipped from her mind! Perhaps she knew where her crush went.

"Excuse me sensei!" Monika said, catching the woman's attention, "Do you know where Ryota Shujinkou is?"

"Ah! Actually, he just stepped out to- Oh?" A sly knowing smirk had formed on her lips. "Ara ara, I wonder what's that you're holding in your hands~?"

Monika flinched, instinctively putting her gift behind her back as she stared at the floor, twiddling her feet. Her face blushed a bright red. "N-nothing important…"

The older women chuckled, "I just sent him to the teacher's room downstairs to deliver something." She leans in forward, hand close to her mouth as she devilishly winked. "Maybe if you're fast enough you'll be able to deliver whatever it is to him~!" She whispered.

"T-thank you…" Monika respectfully bows, still blushing. Quickly, she turns around and heads towards the staircase, not before hearing, "Good luck!" from the teacher.

As she faced the back of the school idol, a smile had formed on the older woman's face. It was as if she was looking at a mirror of the past. With a reminiscent feeling, she looks at her finger. The silver band never failed to make her happy.

"Ah, youth~." The teacher silently said as she went in the other direction.

Meanwhile, a smile had formed on Monika's lips as she quickly went down the stairs. A new sense of confidence had come over her just hearing those words. Maybe she can give it to him without hesitation at all!

And as she approached the teachers' room, that's where she saw him leaving it. Monika could never mistake his warm golden eyes and soft brown hair for someone else. Instinctively, she hid around the corner to mentally prep herself once more.

"Okay Monika, you've got this… steps 1 through 3 are already done." She quietly said to herself before exhaling. "All you have you to do now is the hard part…"

She takes a peak one more time, only to see him starting to walk down the hallways.

"It's now or never Monika…"

The brunette exhales once more and formed a confident smile on her face. It was finally time to face her fears.

"Hey Ryot-"

"There you are, Blockhead!"

Monika's eyes widen as she recognized that voice and hides back around the corner once more. Slowly she peaks it again, only to see the shortest member of the Literature Club, Natsuki Kanakura, facing her crush.

Undeniably, the feistiest member of the club, Natsuki currently stands at 4'11", immediately causing people to think that she's in her first year of high school. Many have been shocked to find out that she's not and have received verbal backlash from her. Despite her brash and blunt personality, the way she acted was adorable and cute; even with her adamant protests towards anyone who dared to comment on it.

Heck, even her appearance was undeniably cute! She had matching short pink hair and eyes; her hair put into twin-tails with red ribbons and a red hourglass-shaped hair clip on her bangs. Combine that all with a cute face, short stature, and even a little fang whenever you see her smile, you got yourself an adorable Natsuki Kanakura. Just don't let her hear that from you.

She crossed her arms with a pout on her face, "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Well, that's a great way to greet someone… Anyways, what's up?"

"Glad you asked Blockhead. Actually I-" Natsuki stopped as the words got caught in her throat. Her face burned as she looked away. "I-I uh…"

Concern filled on the young man's face as he raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah! I'm fine!"

Her cheeks now matched the same shade of pink as her hair. She could feel her heartbeat increasing in speed as she looked into his eyes. The poor girl finally realized what she was doing was extremely embarrassing.

Just what was she doing was so embarrassing?

...

...

...

_d̶o̶ ̶i̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶n̶e̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶a̶i̶n̶..._

Giving him a Valentine's Day gift of course! A gift that she had personally baked herself! Unlike a certain club president, baking sweets are Natsuki's strong point. She had picked up the skill a few years prior after being inspired by one of her favorite manga series. Because of this, she had always brought in sweets for the club (though a certain member always ate the majority of it). She was always praised for her skills as a baker; even being entrusted to bake cupcakes for the cultural festival when the Literature Club was participating.

So giving something simple as chocolate shouldn't be a problem for her right? It was just like any other day when she brought in sweets for the club. So why was she freaking out now?

_'What the heck is wrong with me? It's just giving him a gift! It's not like I like him or anything. Right…?'_

She was lying! Lying to herself more specifically!

Natsuki was in the stage of denial. How could she ever fall in love with someone like him? Sure, she may think he has a cute stupid looking face. Or that his amber eyes were one of his best features. But that was about it. Nothing more, nothing less; it would be impossible for her to fall in love with him.

_'Is it just me or is it that his lips are really kissable right now…?'_

Except that it was the exact opposite; she fell hard for him unknowingly!

_'WHAT THE HECK AM I THINKING?!'_ She thought to herself, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks.

At first, she had been skeptical around the young man joining the club. It was justifiable; a teenage boy joining a club filled with cute girls? You would think he would try and get into someone's skirt. But he was different than what she had imagined. Much more different than all the other boys. Natsuki had even found it easier to talk with him than anyone else after finding out they had the same sentiment regarding a certain form of literature.

And while sure, their tastes in certain genres of manga differed with each other, that didn't stop him from sharing his favorite series with her. It was something so foreign to her. Every time she had brought up her favorite manga series to her "friends", they had been judgemental about it. Apparently, it was fit for a "little girl" like her and she hated it so much. That's why she never dared to mention or show it ever again.

But unlike them, he had been more open-minded and accepting. He wasn't judgmental or condescending like them. It allowed her to open up and share her favorite series with him. It was a series made for younger girls than her, but it didn't matter to her, she loved it. So perhaps sharing the first volume of Parfait Girls was the best decision she had made.

They had formed a friendship over it, something that she secretly cherished. They had shared laughs, arguments, and debates because of it. And over time, she had fallen in love with him. Even if she didn't accept these feelings just yet.

"Really?" He started off, catching her attention. "Your face is red and you really seem out of it."

She shook her head and looked away slightly. It was getting difficult for her to keep eye contact with him. "Yeah. I'm fine Blockhead."

"Well if you say so," Ryota said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Anyways, what's up?"

Natsuki felt like she was backed up into a corner. Like a small poor animal being hunted by its predator. There was no way out of this one for her; It was time for her to tell the truth, even if it is embarrassing.

Except that she had an ace up her sleeve! Natsuki used tsundere tactics 101: Making up an excuse!

"W-well, you see…" She paused, averting her pink eyes away as she thought up of a lie. "this bakery needed help with baking, s-so I offered to help! And since I made extra and didn't know what to do with them…" She reaches in her blazer pocket and pulled out her gift wrapped in a small box. "I decided to give you some since you know... i-it's Valentine's Day!"

He felt a smile form on his face as he graciously took the gift from his hand. "Thanks. Knowing you, it's probably really good."

She couldn't help but blush from his compliment. It had made her heart swell in joy. She tried to hide her smile from him by putting a hand over her mouth, "J-just, don't get the wrong idea! I just felt bad for you since I knew you aren't that popular enough to get chocolate from anyone else! Be grateful!"

_'Ugh! Why am I blushing for?! I don't like him like that!'_

The young man nervously scratched the back of his head. "Actually, I got some earlier from Sayori and Yuri…"

"WHAT?!" She quickly covers her mouth after realizing how embarrassing her outburst was. "I-I mean, what? Really? I… didn't know…"

"Well yeah, they both gave me one before first period started."

She puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. "Hmph! Good for you then! Guess I'll be leaving then!"

Sensing her irritability, Ryota decided to back off for a bit. He knows from first-hand experience that her feisty side isn't something to be messed with. "Alright then, I'll see you during club time then." He said as she stormed off into the other direction.

_'Was it something I said?'_ The young man thought as he unwrapped a piece of Natsuki's chocolate, popping one into his mouth._ 'Good as usual…'_

On the other hand, Natsuki stopped by the nearest corner. As she slid down with her back against the wall, she tucked in her knees and buried her face._ 'Why am I getting so worked up for…?'_ She thought.

As she sat there, she couldn't help but recollect the same stupidly, adorable smile he always gave her moments ago when she gave her gift._ '"Thanks. Knowing you, it's probably really good."'_

Her face burned up as she replayed his words in her head. "Dummy…" She whispered to herself as she got up and walked away.

Even if she was still in denial, her feelings didn't lie to her at all. She was very much in love with the young man.

…

…

…

…

Meanwhile, a classroom door slowly slides open as Monika comes out of her hiding place. She had hidden herself as soon as she saw Natsuki coming around the corner. She knew the pink haired girl would make a fuss about it, so Monika had to do something about it. Luckily for her, a vacant classroom was available to hide in.

As soon as the coast was clear, the school idol takes her gift out from her blazer pocket once more. She had witnessed the whole thing regarding both of her club members. While she did feel envious of Natsuki (though it was painfully obvious that she was making up excuses), she did feel a bit… sad.

Monika wasn't good as a baker as Natsuki. It took the club president weeks of practice just to even make something edible! But with Natsuki giving a gift to Ryota, she started to feel inferior. And it hurt. Obviously, Natsuki's chocolates were better, what would be the point of giving him her gift? She should have bought some from a store instead of making them herself…

No! There was no point of sulking over these doubtful thoughts again. He wouldn't be judgemental over something like this. She knew Ryota would kindly accept the chocolates either way.

With her confidence regained, she set off to find him once more. He couldn't have gone that far, he was bound to be still on the same floor as her. As she quickly searched around, she finally found him turning around the corner.

"There he is!" She quietly said with a mix of glee and confidence. _'This time, I have to do it!'_ Monika readied herself in thought. She started to pick up her pace to catch up with him; practically running.

…

…

…

But perhaps her eagerness was her mistake.

"Oof!" *THUD*

"Ow… Hey, watch where you're going-! Aw crap, it's THE Monika!" A student said in realization. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to get in your way and…."

Unfortunately for the random student that Monika bumped into, she wasn't listening. She was frozen in shock. Her world slowly started to fall apart as she was slowly being pulled back into reality. Her eyes widen in horror as her breathing becomes erratic; her blood running cold.

The only thing she could look at was the sight of her Valentine's Day gift, shattered inside of its plastic wrap.

* * *

**AN: Hey there. Sorry for the REALLY late update, it's just that I've had writer's block for this chapter for a while now which lead to me having no motivation to write. But, I finally managed to finish it (though I'm not that confident with the writing of this chapter. Seems a bit... rushed? I dunno. I may rewrite some parts in this chapter in the future if I ever feel like it.) Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed. **

**Enigma- Ayo, hows it going man? It's been a while, so I hope everything is fine with you. Anyways, thanks for showing support for this short story of mine, very much appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Wow it's been a whole year since I published this. Sorry about that. Full AN notes at the end of the chapter, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

***Sniffle***

_'Hey everyone! Unfortunately, today's club meeting will be canceled today. Something came up unexpectedly that I have to attend to. See you guys tomorrow! :)'_

Monika turned off her phone as soon as she sent the message, placing her phone into her grey olive trench coat pocket. The club president sat alone in a small playground. With one hand on the swing set chains and the other on her scarlet red scarf, gripping it lightly, she slowly swayed on the swing set in the cold February air. As she ignored the buzzing of her phone, she tried to recollect the past few hours. It was mostly a blur to her.

She remembered that class itself seemed to be longer than usual for her today. While she did usually prioritize her studies, it just didn't matter to her today; her focus was on something else besides the lecture. Instead, it was on thinking about how she messed it all up today. How she had one simple job to do and somehow she ruined it.

The emerald-eyed maiden dug through one of her coat pockets and felt the crumpled plastic wrap in her hand. As she held the wrapped items in both of her hands, she focused on the contents inside; shattered pieces of chocolate.

She remembered spending countless and sleepless nights baking.

She remembered the taste of all those failed experiments that made her want to retch in disgust.

She remembered the feelings of happiness she felt when she tasted a batch that wasn't burnt or tasted bitter.

She remembered her imagining his cute face light up in delight as he took a bite out of his gift.

She remembered the excitement and anxiety building up days prior.

…

…

…

She remembered being too eager for her own good.

She remembered the shock and pain of crashing into that random student.

She remembered silently picking up her shattered treats as she heads back to class.

She remembered putting her head down on her desk as she felt hopeless, lost, and most of all misery.

…

…

...

One tear broke free, falling onto the ground. Then another.

"Huh?"

She realized more rolled down her cheek as placed a hand on it, feeling the warmness of her own tears on her fingers, contrasting with the cold weather.

"I… I see. I'm… I'm pathetic, aren't I? Yuri and Natsuki gave it to him without messing up, and I'm sure that Sayori did so as well… But I just had to mess up that one simple job, didn't I? All that hard work… was just for nothing..."

Then just like a broken dam, the rest followed into an unbroken stream. "Stupid… stupid…" She silently sobbed as she hiccuped, wiping away the tears from her eyes.

"Oh my…"

As Monika lifted her teary emerald eyes up to the source of the voice, she came face to face with someone from earlier ago. Although she wasn't very familiar with her, and not even knowing her name, she could remember that those ruby red eyes belonged to Ryota's teacher.

This time, she was wearing a beige trench coat, and let her dark raven hair down instead of being tied up. On her shoulder was both loops of her bag as she held onto it. Her face was filled with sympathy as she crouched down to meet face to face with the young girl.

She looked over to Monika's left. "May I sit there?"

Monika nodded in response, still wiping her tears away.

As she sat down on the swing next to Monika, she rummaged through her bag, taking out a few napkins before handing it over to her.

The club president took them, wiping away her tears. "It's okay. Just let it all out, sweetie. It's okay." The teacher starts to gently rub her back to comfort her.

It was silent between the both of them, with the occasional sniffles from Monika. Though the teacher never interacted with the student, she couldn't help but feel responsible for the well-being of Monika. Throughout all of her years' teaching, she always felt that it was a teacher's job to help comfort a student whenever they're in a moment of distress.

And after a few more minutes, she had calmed down, though her eyes were still puffy from the tears. "I suppose the confession with young Ryota didn't work out in the end?"

For a slight moment, the club president remained quiet as she stifled her tears. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and shook ever so slightly.

"N-no…" Monika sniffled. Slowly, she carefully opened her cupped hands, revealing her shattered homemade chocolates to her. "I-I didn't even get to have the chance too…"

"Oh my..." There was another moment of silence between the two as Monika stares at her shattered baked goods in her hands. Her face remained morose as she slowly starts to sway once more on the swings.

A hand had softly appeared on Monika's shoulder, grabbing the school idol's attention. She looked to her left to see the teacher's small smile, filled with empathy, directed at her. It felt warm and nurturing, almost as if it was a mother's embrace towards her child.

"But for what it's worth, I think that you should give it to him anyway."

Monika's eyes widen as she shook her head, clutching her baked chocolate goods closer to her chest. "N-no! I… I don't think that he would even like it when it looks like this…"

"I don't think that he would ever think like that, sweetie. I'm sure he will appreciate it coming from you."

A downcast look appeared on Monika once more. "It wouldn't even matter if I gave it to him anyway. I should just give up… Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki... I know for a fact that they all like him too. They're all so amazing and have wonderful personalities. Sayori is so cheery and energetic. Her presence alone can brighten people's day. Plus they knew each other since childhood. Natsuki is a brash person, but deep down she's sweet and caring towards people she trusts, whether she admits it or not. Yuri is very shy, but she is such an angel once you get to know her. I don't think she wouldn't harm a fly."

Monika pauses for a moment before continuing. "And they don't even mess up the simplest of tasks like me." She scoffed. "But for me? I'm nothing special… I'm just Monika. Just regular Monika." A few hot tears slowly began to run down her cheeks once more as she wiped them away. "I'm… I'm sure that he would pick one of them over me. Anyone of them would be a better choice." She said in a disheartened tone.

"Well, that's that's not what my students say." The teacher shows a comforting smile. "You know Monika, somehow you're always the topic among my students about how wonderful you and your achievements are. You cause me so much trouble despite not being in my classroom." She giggled.

Monika, clearly embarrassed, looks away with a light red blush on her cheeks. Despite the small light-hearted moment between the two, there was yet another silence between the both of them before the teacher caught her attention once more.

"Monika." The older woman said with a serious tone. "What did you see in Ryota? What do you like about him?"

"...!" Monika was stunned. It took her a few moments to process the question she was just asked. And when she came back to reality, her cheeks were now blushing fiercely as her eyebrows rose in surprise. "Eh? W-why do you want to know?"

"Don't mind the details. Just tell me why."

After a few moments, the brunette sighed, calming herself down and was ready to answer the question. "Well… while I was excited about getting a new member of my club, at first I didn't really think much about him. He was just a person that I knew from last year, but we didn't talk much back then.

But I think it was a few weeks after the festival. That's was when I started to notice my feelings for him. I would often be on the lookout for him wherever I went. Whether it be in the hallways, in between class, during lunch, or even through the windows whenever his class is outside for gym class."

She pauses before scratching her glowing red right cheek, "Ahaha… it sounds like I'm a bit of a stalker huh?"

"Not at all sweetheart, keep going."

Monika nods. "I started to see all the small details about him. The way he laughs, the way he acts around his friends, the way he smiles, the stupid corny jokes he makes, his habit of rubbing the back of his head, the way he plays with his messy brown hair… I always wanted to play with it too, it looks so soft. He also has beautiful eyes, it's always filled with this warm feeling every time I look into them. I love his personality too; he's so kind and considerate to those around him.

I also think it's because of his personality that the literature club became such a lively place. It was something that I always wished it was. Before he joined, it was just so… awkward in a sense; we all were just strangers with a similar interest, but we all had our differences. Sometimes, it would even get very tense at times which led to arguments.

But then he came along and he was able to become friends with all of us so quickly, which in turn led the club to become closer with each other, little by little. His kind nature really did make an impact on all of us... With him, everything just feels so fun whenever he's around. And also, about me being the center topic of your students?"

"What about it?"

"That's the thing. I know that everyone considers me as the school idol, and it's nice too; I know that almost everyone in school likes me. But most of the time I just feel like… It just gets in the way. Don't get me wrong, I still like the status, but I realized that people don't actually like me as a person… They only like me for my achievements and what I worked for most of the time.

They don't actually know the real me; just that perfect school idol image of me. And for the longest time, it just seemed like no one even tried to get to know me better because of the status I carry. To be honest, it... it just makes me feel alone; like I was trapped in a cell with no way out. Sometimes it just doesn't feel real to me you know?

But… Ryota on the other hand... He doesn't view me like the 'unapproachable student idol' like he used to. After a while, he actually went out of his way to get to know me better, talk with, and spend time with me… He sees me as an actual person. A friend. That's why I consider him one of my closest actually. That's why I…"

"...Hmm. I see." The older woman rose up from her seat, hands behind her back as she turned her head towards Monika. Her lips formed a smile. "So you really do like him huh? Look, I don't know if you even realized it yet but you were smiling the whole time."

Quickly, Monika placed her fingers on her own lips. As she felt her smile, she couldn't help but giggle. "Yeah. I do."

"Well then, I think that should be more than enough reasons to see him right?"

"But-"

"Ah ah. No more excuses, Monika." The teacher bent down to be at face level with her as she placed one hand on her shoulder. "I know this may seem a bit inappropriate for me as a teacher to give advice about love, but I want to give it to you as a woman.

You must face your own feelings head-on! Don't let this small misfortune hold you back into doing nothing! Just because, as you say, those other girls like him too… does that mean you should just give up on your own feelings, even after you worked so hard?! ...To give up without doing anything… tell me Monika, are your feelings for him so weak that something like this makes you sad to the point you want to give up?!"

The club president's eyes widen as she heard those words from her mouth.

"That's why you have to fight for your feelings for him. Reach out towards it and never let it go. Because if you don't, then one day you are going to look back on this day filled with regret. So that's why to go. Go to him and give it to him. You don't even have to tell him your feelings, but just go. Don't make that mistake of not giving it to him."

A few moments went by as Monika stared into the unwavering ruby gaze, filled with such determination that rendered her silent. The school idol grips the chains of the swing harder as she finally made up her mind.

"You're… you're right." Monika stood up from the swing seat, her confidence and resolved restored. "I'm… I'm going to go to him!"

The teacher lets out a puff of air from her nose as she forms a smirk. "Then what are you waiting for?"

Right before Monika reached the entrance of the small playground, she turns around and respectfully bows to her teacher. "Thank you for your words of encouragement, um…"

"Ah, that's right. I never had you as one of my students before. Mrs. Itsuki Uesugi. You may come back to me anytime if you need anything else." She waved, with a small smile on her face.

"Uesugi-sensei… Thank you!" Monika waved back before departing with haste. As she disappeared around the corner, the teacher sat back down onto the swings, a sigh escaping her lips.

_'That boy, Ryota Shujinkou…'_ Her eyebrows started to scrunch up as she placed a few fingers on her forehead, massaging it. It was clear she was beginning to become irritated. _'He has a lot of explaining to do with having four girls liking him! Is he a player? Though he doesn't seem to be that type...'_

A sigh once more escaped the teacher's lips as she looked into the grey February skies. _'Oh well. What was Monika's club called again? A literature club? ...I wonder if it has a club adviser…'_

* * *

_'This is the one right here…'_

His house was a regular two-story home, surrounded by a white fence. She remembered that a few days before the festival, Sayori had pointed out his house before while they were on their way to the latter's house to work together. Monika stood before the wooden gate door, before slowly opening it and walking on the pathway leading towards his front door. Her anxiety increased with every step she took, but she knew she couldn't back down. After all, that talk with Mrs. Uesugi would have been pointless.

She stood in front of his door, just inches away from the doorbell. Her doubts and questions from earlier ago had invaded her mind once more, but she disregarded them, even if she felt like she was going to be swallowed by them. Mrs. Uesugi's speech had given her the courage to push forward with it.

Slowly but surely, her finger grew closer to the button as her heartbeat quickened. But as soon as her finger touched the button, the door suddenly opened, surprising Monika as she lets an "Eep!" out of her lips.

"I'm getting the mail right now, Ryota, just give me a min- Eh?"

The person who stood before Monika was a girl, seeming a bit younger than her.

The first thing she noticed was her eyes which were widened from surprise. They were just like her crush's eyes; amber yellow.

The second thing she noticed was what she was wearing. Judging by her clothes, which was a black, long-sleeved seifuku **[1]** with white lining and a white ribbon to accompany it, she had to be in middle school.

The last thing she noticed, was just like her crush, she had brown hair which had touched past her shoulders and all the way down to her back. With it, was a plastic white flower clip that held up her bangs to the side.

There was only one explanation that Monika figured out: this girl in front of her was Ryota's sister!

She had remembered that both he and Sayori mentioned her once or twice before, but this was the first time she was actually meeting her. Now if she remembered correctly, her name was…

"Haru? What's the matt- Monika?!"

Behind Haru, up came her brother in a pair of casual clothes; a black shirt that looked somewhat too big for him and grey sweatpants. The club president's cheeks turned red from embarrassment as soon as she saw her crush's bewildered face.

She starts to play with her fingers behind her back as she lets out an awkward laugh. "Ahaha… Um… May I come in?"

* * *

His room is pretty tidy.

That is if you didn't consider his messy bed, his cluttered computer desk which had his school books and gaming controllers on top, his half-opened closet, and even his freshly changed uniform clothes on his bed. Either way, his room was pretty organized; Monika could see how neatly his game collections, and manga collection that sat inside of his shelf, and other merchandise were neatly placed.

"Sorry for the mess. I didn't expect anyone today…" Ryota quickly started to clean up his mess up. He blushed in embarrassment. Not just because of the mess in his room, but also from the fact that he was alone in his room with the most popular girl in his school. Most boys in his school would fight for a chance like this, but here she was alone with him.

Besides Sayori, this was the first time a girl had went inside his room. Sure, both Natsuki and Yuri had gone inside his house that one time to work together for the school's festival, but that was about it. To say he was nervous would be an understatement for him.

His club president sat in seiza **[2]** on a cushion that was provided by him earlier. "No, no! It's okay, it's my fault that I came here without telling you…" He joined her shortly after, with only a small table in between them.

The door gently opens, revealing Haru, holding a plate with a cup on top of it."'Scuse me…" She places on the table, in front of Monika. "Make yourself at home!" The little sister says as she smiles. She leaves right before receiving a quick "thank you" from the school idol and gives a nudge to her older brother with her feet.

Unbeknownst to them both, she began to spy on them by hiding behind his door, peeking through the small crack left open by her.

"So, that's your little sister?" Monika queried.

"Yeah." Ryota responded as he scratched the back of his head, "I didn't really mention her much during our club meetings, did I?"

"I think you or Sayori mentioned her once or twice. I'm not too sure. Anyways, what year of middle school is she in?"

"Hmm." He starts to stroke his chin in thought. "She's in her last year I think."

"Ah!" Monika's eyes started to sparkle in excitement, "Will she be attending our school then?"

He smirks at her expression. He knew where she was going with this; it was written all over her bright and excited smile. He thought it was cute, but he didn't want to voice it out to avoid any awkward moments. "Yup."

"Maybe she can join the literature club!" The potential of getting a new club member always excites her. While she and the rest of her members were very disappointed that no one expressed an interest in joining the literature club after the festival, that didn't stop her from giving up hope.

"Hmm." He starts to scratch the back of his head, "Well, I'll talk to her about it. Hopefully, she joins. After all, we're going to graduate next year, so it would be nice for the literature club to continue while we are all in our universities."

A worried look formed on Monika's face as he mentioned that. "Hopefully she does…" However, that expression disappears as the club president forms a smile, "Though that just means we have to try harder next year to get more people to join!"

He forms the same smile that Monika had fallen in love with many times, causing her to slightly blush. "I'm sure we'll get more people to join the club, Monika."

"That's right!" The club president responded as she nodded, returning a smile to him.

And just like that, the conversation ended.

An awkward silence filled the air as none of them knew what else to say. Ryota scratched the back of his head as a few questions had wandered into his mind, while Monika tried to figure out how to strike another conversation into leading her giving the gift to him.

A few minutes of silence happened, and ultimately, what had happened was…

"Monika…?"

"Hey, Ryota…?

The two looked at each other in surprise as they interrupted each other. And after a couple of minutes of insisting the other to go first, Ryota had struck the first question.

"So… how did you find out where I lived if you don't mind me asking?"

The school idol's cheeks were now a bright red from embarrassment. She had finally realized that while she knew where he lived, he had never told her. She now just hopes that he doesn't think of her as a crazy stalker... "Ah! Sorry about that… I'm sure you were surprised by the sudden intrusion, but do you remember when Sayori and I worked together for the festival? She showed me your house while we were on the way to hers."

"Oh, I see… Well, that makes much more sense. I really was surprised to see you out of all the people on my front door. Anyways, you go can go ahead now. What did you want to say to me?"

"Ah! W-well… you see..." As Monika stumbled on her words, she felt her anxiety boost up by a thousand; the tempo of her heartbeat increased each second. And in between those very few seconds, it felt like hours for her as she reached inside the contents of her school bag.

…

…

…

She took a few papers out of her bag and handed it over to him. "Here you go. Before I had left school, the teacher stopped me on my way and told you to give this to you."

A look of both slight shock and confusion was seen on his face. "O-oh… I see. Thank you, Monika." Ryota quickly reads over the contents of the paper.

The club president quickly stands up from her seat, and respectfully bows. "Well then… I should be going."

On the outside, Monika Tachibana had kept her straight face on the whole time. But on the inside, she felt like crying; she inwardly cursed at herself for messing it up. Was it because of the pressure she felt at the moment? Is she feeling afraid? Or maybe just both?

"Ah! Already? Well, alright then. Let me walk you down." As he got up, he couldn't help but feel… a bit sad. _'It's Valentine's Day, right?'_ He thought.

They slowly walked out of his room, just before Haru had hidden away in the room before his, right behind the door. On all fours, she crawled near the stairs and watched as they walked down the stairs, holding onto the railing in silence.

_'Uwah… They look a bit gloomy… Did something happen? I couldn't really hear them that well… Big brother, did you mess up?'_ The little sister fearfully thought. But the answer to her question would not come until later.

The young man in question, however, was just as confused as his little sister. With every step down the stairs, Ryota couldn't help but get lost in his thoughts.

_'Hmm. What was I thinking?'_

As for Monika, she could feel her stomach turn with each step as she also got lost in her own._ 'I… I can't believe I messed this up again…'_

_'I thought she came here to give me a Valentines' Day gift… Well, I guess I did think a bit too much of myself. Just what was I thinking? We're both in two different worlds since she's so popular… She wouldn't give one to someone like me anyway.'_

_'Even after that talk with her, I'm just still too nervous…'_

_'It's up to her whether or not to give me one or not anyways. But I thought we were close enough to receive chocolate from her like the rest of the girls did with me. Or something like that…'_

_'I'm sorry Mrs. Uesugi… I'm too weak right now… Even if I give it to him now, I think it would just cause him trouble...'_

_'But…'_

_'Well, there's always next year right…? Yeah… next year for sure.'_

**_'It would have been nice to know that she at least doesn't hate me.'_**

As Monika picks up her shoes from the front entrance, a mournful look, hidden from him formed on her lips, _'...Next year for- "tell me Monika, are your feelings for him so weak that something like this makes you sad to the point you want to give up?!"..._

_I can't..._

_I..._

_..._

_...No… I can't! I… I have to do this!'_

With her newfound courage, she finds her strength and faces her one and only love. "Ryota!"

"Huh?" As he snapped back into reality from his thoughts, he realized that they were both at the entryway to the front door. He saw that Monika had already put her on shoes, but one thing that caught him off guard was the deep red blush on her docile face. Quickly, she rummages through her bag and grabs a certain item from it.

It was time for her to face her fear.

"I'm sorry! Really, really sorry! I-I really meant to give this to you instead..." With both hands, she finally presents her shattered gift wrapped in a plastic bag, "It's... for Valentines' Day." Monika said as her crush takes it from her hands.

As she noticed him observing the contents of the bag, she started to feel very tense from it. The school idol looked away as she started to play with her hair. "Y-you see, what had happened was that I umm… I tried to give it to you earlier, but then I bumped into someone and fell on top of them, then it got messed up and got all shattered and then-"

Monika was interrupted by a small chuckle from her crush. Slowly, she looks up to his face only to see a smile on his lips. Just seeing his smile washed away all of her doubts and fears away and made her feel so warm.

He started to scratch the back of his head, "You know, it's a bit embarrassing to say this but, I was getting a bit nervous. The other three gave me gifts earlier today, but you didn't. I was getting worried that you didn't like me or something, and by the end of the school day, I was convinced you weren't going to give me one." Realizing his words, he blushes in embarrassment and started to retract his words. "N-not like that type of _'like'!_ Y'know, as a friend.

But… err. What was the point I was trying to make? Hmm. Ah, whatever. But anyways, receiving chocolates from you makes me really happy. Thank you, Monika."

The girl in question silently stared at him with a deep red blush burning on her cheeks. Ryota was surprised to see her speechless.

"That… that chocolate was the best one I've made so far… You're welcome." She finally said with a genuine smile on her face.

"Really? You made this?" The young man excitedly takes off the ribbon that was tied onto the plastic gift bag.

"A-ah!" In response, her eyebrows rose in surprise; a worried look was now spread across the young maiden's red face. She reached her hand out to try and stop him. "You don't have to eat it now!"

But it was too late, her crush had already popped a few pieces into his mouth. She closed her eyes and braced for the worse. But imagine the look on her face as she heard a "wow!" escape his lips. She slowly looked up to see a delighted look on his face. "This is really good Monika! It's sweet, but not that sweet if you get what I mean. The texture is pretty smooth, plus the flavor is pretty rich. Good job!"

This wouldn't be the last surprise that Ryota would face. He soon realized that a teardrop had formed in her eye and trailed down her cheek. "Eh?! Monika?! Why are you-?!"

"Ah… Ahaha~!" Monika wiped away the tears in her eyes. They weren't tears of sadness this time. No, they were tears of happiness! "It's fine Ryota, I just… I just had something in my eye." The brunette couldn't stop giggling, right before she puts her hands behind her back and leaned forward with a broad smile. "I guess I had nothing to worry about after all!"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"Nothing." She hummed. "Anyways… I'll see you tomorrow Ryota."

"Alright then. Well, do you at least want me to walk you home?"

The brunette pondered for a few seconds before politely declining; she wanted to end things on a good note for the day. Monika didn't think her heart could take any more hits from him that would make her heart strum faster. And so, with a red blush on her face combined with a gentle smile, she said, "Good night Ryota. I'll see you tomorrow" as she waved goodbye before she closed the door.

But in the last second before she closed the door, she could have sworn she saw a blush on his face.

* * *

"Oh big brother~!" chirped Haru. The person in question followed the voice upstairs towards her room. There, he saw his little sister sitting near the edge of her bed with a smile on her face. But this wasn't an ordinary smile, it was one of those sinister smiles where the other had an ulterior motive behind their back. Ryota knew what was coming; after seeing his little sister and club president standing face to face, he knew Haru was bound to say something. He gulped in fear as he stood by her front door.

"Y-yes?"

She pointed towards a black cushion on her bedroom floor. "Sit."

"Errr... Why-?"

"SIT."

Her sudden rise in voice frightened him. And in turn, it made him immediately complied with her demand.

"Soooooo…." Haru started off as she leaned in forward with her hands on her cheeks.

"...So?"

"You know what I'm going to talk about! You finally got chocolate from someone other than big sis Sayori! Was it romantic chocolate, or friendly chocolate?"

A light blush appears on his face, he averts his eyes in response as he scratches the back of his head, "Well, I think it was friendly chocolate."

"What? You think so?"

"I mean, there's no way she would give me, out of all people, romantic chocolate. I don't think that would be the case at all."

"What's her name anyway?"

"Monika Tachibana. She's pretty much the school idol. She's pretty, smart, athletic. She has everything going for her. But she's really friendly though."

Haru crosses her arms as an unhopeful look spread across her face. "Uwah… She really was pretty. But you're right, she does have a lot of choices…"

"Hey!"

"Okay, okay. I'm half-joking big brother." She giggled. "Anyways, good for you! But the real question is, what are you going to do for White Day?"

"Ah… Well, I'm not sure about that actually. I don't know what to get the others-"

"Others?!"

"D-did I say others? I mean her, sorry slip of the tongue…" Ryota lied. He couldn't let her sister know that he got other chocolates from the rest of the literature club; he would have died from embarrassment. Not only that, how would he explain that the club he was in was filled with girls?

"Hmmm." The little sister sighed as she placed one hand on her cheek, a bored expression appeared on her face. "Well, you should go check that out then." She looks towards her window, and suddenly her amber yellow eyes widen in surprise. "Woah, Ryota! Check that out!" Haru excitedly said as she pointed.

"Huh? There's nothing-" The older brother was interrupted as he saw his little sister zoomed off of her bed and towards his bedroom. "Wait!" He quickly got up and rushed towards his room, but it was too late. In his sister's hands was the other chocolate gifts he received.

"Big brother… Care to explain?"

He gulped in fear.

* * *

A sigh escaped the young girl's lips as her brother finished explaining himself. They found each other sitting across from one another on his bedroom floor.

"So… What you're basically telling me is that you're in a literature club out of all places, just because there are four girls in it?"

"Don't make it sound like that's the only reason!" Ryota starts to scratch the back of his head, "I mean, you're kinda right, but my point still stands! I only joined because Sayori kept asking me too, and I couldn't just deny them. I felt really bad when I told them I wasn't sure if I was going to join, so... I just did in the end anyway."

She sighs once more.

"Big sis is always dragging you into something huh? Well, whatever. Anyways, you got four chocolates from four different girls this year… So I'm going to ask again: are you sure they're all just friendly chocolate instead of romantic chocolate?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure…" Ryota said with uncertainty, something that Haru caught onto.

"Hmmm. Maybe it is. Or maybe they were just too embarrassed to say that it was romantic chocolate…"

"Maybe you're- WAIT WAIT WAIT!" A visible bright red blush formed on his face as he shook his head, "I-I don't think that's the case at all! I mean, why would anyone of them have a crush on me?! They wouldn't like me that way I think..."

"Or maybe you're just really dense and you don't know how a girl's heart works…" Haru puts her hand on her chin and lets a hum escape her lips. "Well if it was friendly chocolate, there isn't much to worry about. The point of Valentine's is the act of giving chocolate to others like your friends or co-workers. But if one of those chocolates there was romantic chocolate instead, then that's something to worry about..."

"Okay…"

After a silent pause, the little sister looks straight into her brother's amber eyes and without falter said, "Do you like any one of them?"

"Huh?!" Ryota's blush starts to intensify on his face, "I mean sure, yeah I like all of them!"

"Come on! Do you like them or not!"

"I already told you! Yes!"

"Hnnnnnnng! You know what I mean! Stop avoiding the question!" Suddenly without warning, Haru puts both hands on his shoulder with a serious look on her face and said, "Just think really hard about any one of them, and please tell me; do you like 'like' one of the girls in your club!"

And so, the young man lets out a quiet sigh before he paused. He knew his sister wasn't going to give up until she got what she wanted to hear. So he started to look back really hard, remembering all of his good times at the literature club. He didn't notice himself, but a small smile formed on his lips doing so. But at one point, he started to remember one key memory with one of the girls in the club.

Then another.

Then another.

Then another, until it all came crashing down into his head. Ultimately, the only thing that was in his mind was her smile. Little by little, his cheeks started to burn brightly as his expression starts to get softer, something that did not go unnoticed by himself and his little sister. _'Ah, crap…'_ He thought.

Ryota covers his blush with his fist in front of his face as he turned away from his little sister, "I mean… I guess I'm a bit interested in one of them…"

In response, his little sister's eyebrows start to furrow into slight annoyance as she lets out a "huh" escape her lips. _'Hmm. Ryota is being cute right now…'_

"Why do you look so annoyed with me…?" Her older brother quietly said to himself.

Haru slowly starts to get up, a sigh escaping her lips, "Oh well. Whatever happens, happens." She shrugged her shoulders. The little sister then crosses her arms and with a smug look on her face, she says, "Anyways, since you don't know what to give them for White Day, this is where I come in!"

Ryota starts to scratch the back of his head, "Well, I was going to ask you for the help anyways."

"Haha! Just as I thought. You really don't know anything about a girl's heart! So next month, we're going shopping for myself!" There was a short pause from Haru before she corrected herself into, "For your gifts!"

"Hey now, don't try to backtrack after that pause…"

"Come on now! Don't sweat the details big bro!"

* * *

A few hours later, after it was almost dead of night, Ryota had finally finished his homework. He wanted nothing but to just lay in bed and wrap himself under his warm blanket, even if it was earlier than his usual sleeping time. Today was certainly eventful at the most, dealing with school, receiving Valentine's chocolates from his club members, Monika visiting his house, and dealing with Haru definitely wore him out. While he did want to just sleep away the night, there was one thing that was bugging him that his little sister made him open his eyes too.

"Do I really like her?" He said to himself as he stared at his ceiling.

The young man looks towards his desk where he placed all the chocolate gifts the literature club gave him today. That wasn't the only thing he had to worry about, what about the rest of the girls? Where does he place his feelings for them too? Does he also like them that way? And what if he doesn't? But do they like him that way too? How would their relationship change with him? Would he need to reject their feelings? How would-

"I think I just need to sleep on it. This is just going to keep me all night…"

After a few minutes pass by of shifting around in his bed into a comfortable spot, the young man finally drifted into a peaceful slumber, free of worry.

But as for the rest of the literature club...

* * *

Curled up on her computer chair, hands hugging knees, Sayori Akimoto slowly spins around. _'Well, I gave him chocolate again this year…'_ She thought, _'But I didn't confess to him… again…'_

Stopping herself from spinning with her feet, she inches herself forward towards her dresser. Opening it up, she reaches under all of her clothes until she found what she was looking for. Pulling it out, she puts the heart stamped envelope towards the ceiling; it was a love letter that she wrote in her first year of high school.

_'This year… for sure!'_ She paused for a couple of seconds before setting the letter down. She noticed how tattered and crumpled up it was. "Ehehe… Maybe I sure write another one…"

...

...

...

"I suppose I should end it off here for tonight…" The purple hair maiden says as she closes her book. Yuri Shizuka sets her book on her nightstand and shuts off the only source of light in her room, before covering herself with a warm blanket. She slowly closes her eyes, allowing herself to drift into a peaceful slumber…

That is until her mind suddenly replayed today's events. She started to squirm around her bed, a bright blush on her face the whole time. She placed a hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat increase before placing her hands on her face. "Uuuuuuuuu…. I still can't believe I did something so embarrassing today…"

A few silent seconds go by, and ultimately, she turns her lamp back on and grabs her book once more. "Perhaps another chapter can keep my mind off it…"

...

...

...

Leaning against the wall as she sat on her bed, Natsuki Kanakura lets her pen roll off on her brown nightstand, which contrasted her brightly colored room. She takes a good look at her piece of paper; it was a list. A list of both good and bad points of the young man in her literature club.

Natsuki starts to trail her eyes down the list, "Let's go over it again… He's a dummy, maybe a pervert, a bit dense… But..." She felt the heat rushing towards her cheek as she places her hand on her chest. The tempo of her heartbeat quickens as she kept going down.

Flustered, she quickly crushes her list into a paper ball, throwing it near her trash can in a fit of embarrassment. Sitting in the corner of her bed, she clutched onto her stuffed cat, holding it tighter with every silent second passing by. "Do I really like him?"

A few thoughtful moments pass by her until she ultimately sighs and loosens her grip on her stuffed cat. "I shouldn't be thinking about stuff like this. Besides, he's just a dummy in the end!"

She looks towards her desk where a plastic bag lies. As she reached inside the bag, she pulls one of the items out, which was one of the volumes of a new manga series she was interested in.

Natsuki had no idea what genre it belongs too, only the fact that the cover art was a bit cutesy and that the reviews online were good. Besides, it didn't hurt to try out a new series, it possibly could become her new favorite series. " Maybe this can take my mind off these stupid thoughts…" She says as she flips the cover and wrapped a blanket over her body.

But perhaps it may have been her biggest mistake.

As she kept reading and went deeper into the story that was surprisingly good, she realized it was a romantic comedy. While there is inherently nothing wrong with that, her only problem was the likable protagonist, who reminded her of…

Immediately, she closes the small book and quickly turns off her only light source, all with a bright blush on her face. "Yup, definitely just going to sleep now."

…

"Maybe one more chapter wouldn't hurt."

…

...

...

Monika Tachibana opened her front door to an empty house. Her parents usually come home later at night, but that was fine with her today. She needed to be alone to unwind her thoughts of today's events anyways. She took off her shoes by the door, before quietly going up the stairs and into her room.

The moment she stepped inside of her room, the normally calm girl dove straight into her bed and held onto the nearest pillow. Thinking about the events at his house made her grip even tighter as she kicked her legs in embarrassment.

"I can't believe that I went through all that trouble today… I really was worried about nothing."

Her grip eventually loosens up as she started to recount the events leading up to visit his house. Ultimately, she turned over, still holding onto her pillow, and sighed. "But I was also all over the place today with my emotions. That isn't like me at all either…" A small smile started to spread on her lips, "At least I was able to give it to him thanks to Mrs. Uesugi words at the last moment… I should really thank her tomorrow."

Looking over to her nightstand, she opens up the drawer and takes out a notebook with the title "Diary" written on it. As she starts to flip to a free page, she couldn't help but look over her past entries. She went over the day she left the debate club, the day when she opened the literature club, meeting Sayori which led to finding Natsuki and Yuri in the next few entries, and even her thoughts and feelings about Ryota and how it grew into something a bit more than platonic. A giggle escaped her lips as she read, and finally, she started to jot down today's events.

After doing so, she flipped to the very back of her diary to a poem she started not too long ago…

"Every day, I imagine… Hmm… No, that's still not right..." She crossed out a few words as she lets a small sigh out. "I don't know when I will finish this poem for him. I'm just so lost after that one sentence..." After a few more brainstorming minutes, she gave up, deciding it was time to retire for the night. Perhaps in her dreams, she'll finally figure out what to write to him.

And with that, Monika Tachibana slowly closed her emerald eyes and drifted off into a comfortable slumber with a smile on her face.

* * *

They had slept well later that night, all with a smile on their faces, dreaming about nothing but love and literature.

* * *

**[1]** Seifuku- Right. So these are basically the school uniforms that are based on a naval sailor uniform. You pretty much see these on any slice-of-life anime girls. I based Haru's seifuku off of Taiga Aisaka's (Toradora!) one from the very last episode.

**[2]** Seiza- A more formal way of sitting where you sit on your knees and rest your buttocks on the top of your toes. Fun fact, when I was in Kyoto a few years back, they had a specific type of chairs for it instead of cushions. The whole time I tried to do it, however, I gave up and decided to crisscross.

**AN: Well now, I finally finished writing this after months! Yeah I know, it's been a full year since I first published this story, but honestly, I got a bit burnt out of DDLC. I mean, I still like it, but with starting college and working I don't have much time to write so I put this in the backseat for a while. Then awhile became months, and now here we are.**

**To be honest, I started getting my motivation back during Christmas, writing everyday bit by bit. Before, I had only written the beginning of this chapter until Mrs. Uesugi appears (Which is totally not a reference to a manga/anime series, wink wink). But then during mid-January, that's when I actually sat down and started to write more. And now, bam, this chapter is finally done.**

**I want to talk about a few parts of this chapter. You guys can skip this if you want, I just wanted to get this out of my chest really.**

**Anyways, one is where Monika talks about what he likes about our protagonist. I wanted to elaborate on Monika's in-game trait of being the school's idol and being the unapproachable girl. I had always thought in an AU where Monika doesn't have her in-game sentience, or 'it's not a game scenario', her problem would've been that she feels lonely (just like how she feels lonely in-game because nothing to her is real) since people don't see her as "her" but only as the school idol, making her not have many real friends. Which would lead her into falling in love with MC after interacting with him over time. For that part, I didn't know what dialogue to write in her character for a long time. But after being inspired by a few fanfics over on the DDLC subreddit, a few mods, and especially one of my favorite DDLC fanfics here on this website that still gets updated from time to time till today, I finally knew what to write. There are too many people to name, but I still thank them.**

**Another part I want to talk about is after the switching thoughts moment between Monika and Ryota. Specifically when Haru is talking with Ryota about if he likes one of the girls. That part is heavily inspired by another manga series and it just fitted way too well with the way I always wanted to write Haru that I wanted to put it in the very first moment that I've read it.**

**The last part I wanted to talk about is the ending, which is that I tried to connect each girl with a form of literature, (Sayori starting to rewrite her love letter to Ryota, Yuri reading her book, Natsuki reading her manga if you consider it literature, and Monika writing her poem/song.) and thinking about their crush before they slept for the night which is a connection to the DDLC soundtrack "Dreams of Love and Literature." Just not too sure if I executed it correctly.**

**Disregarding that, initially, my goal was to make this story to be at least, five or six thousand words long, but this chapter is actually eight thousand by itself so there you go.**

**Anyways, I still want to continue with my other fic Doki Doki Chuunibyou Club, but I have to start remembering the scenes and plot points I had in mind. I don't know when the next chapter will be (if anyone is still interested in it anyway) but I don't really like leaving things unfinished. I may even have to edit it out just a bit.**

**But I also do have a few fanfictions in mind about DDLC, it just depends how motivated I am.**

**Oh and please leave constructive criticism down below, it has been a while since I have written something. Anyways thank you all for reading and have a good day/night.**

**One more VERY important note is that I have already written out an epilogue/sequel/special chapter or whatever you want to call it that just needs a bit of revision. That will come out VERY soon. Then that will be it.**


	6. Chapter 6

Ryota Shujinkou sighed as he dropped a few plastic bags on the floor and sat down next to a well-dressed mannequin.

The day was Sunday, March 10th, 2019. Usually, at this time, the young man would most likely be doing something in his interest. Whether that be by playing video games or even catching up on a few manga series, the young man wouldn't be idling around like this. He watched as people come and go out of the store, listening to both the awful radio playing in the background, and the side conversations people were having, and ugh! The strong scent of the store smelled like someone sprayed too much cologne! There could be so many other things that he could be doing instead of this.

Needless to say, Ryota was bored and didn't want to be here. He started to think about the amount of sleep he could be having right now if it weren't for a certain somebody. The young man takes his smartphone out of his pocket and-

"What?! 3:13?! It's only been five minutes?! I could have sworn it was longer…" He sighs once more." Just how long is she going to take..."

"Hey, big brother?" The person of the subject said as she peeked around a corner with a smile on her face. She held two cardigans, one dandelion colored and the other a baby blue, by the hangers it was on. "Which one is cuter? This one or this? It's going to be spring soon so I've got to get ready!"

"Hmm. I think leaving the store is the best option to be completely honest with you."

"Ah come on! Don't be such a cry baby!"

"Haru, aren't you supposed to help _ME _with buying gifts instead of the other way around?!"

"Ugh… Fine." The little sister sighed. "I'm almost done shopping anyways. Once I'm done, then I'll help you out. Promise. Just sit tight and watch those bags okay?"

"Whatever…"

The mall in their area was a grand place which was always crowded every day. To say that exploring the whole mall would take a day was an understatement. But yet, it certainly felt like Haru had dragged her brother around every single clothing store in the mall judging by the amount of bags she had. And after another ten minutes of sitting around and doing nothing, they both left the store, with Haru buying nothing and leaving her older brother ticked off.

"Come on, what can I say Ryota? It was a bit too overpriced for my taste. Plus, it kinda looked ugly now that I'm thinking about it."

He sighs in disappointment. "Whatever. Look, can you just help me already with the gifts?"

"Fine." She said as her older brother starts to smile in relief. But that smile was soon turned upside down as she then said, "After this one last store."

"Another store?! Haru, I swear we just went around the whole mall, like three times!"

"Ryota I promise." The little sister then points her pinky finger at him. "Pinky promise!"

The young man sighs one more time as he interlocks his pinky finger with her, "You better not be lying."

"Thanks, big brother!" The little sister said. Without warning, she quickly lets her pinky free and grabs onto her older brother's arm. "Now then, let's hurry up!"

The sudden movement startled Ryota as he realized he was being pulled by his little sister, quickly moving past each shopper. "H-hey! Slow down just a bit! Who do you think is carrying all of your bags?" His sister, however, didn't listen at all; it seemed like she was excited to go to the store she was interested in, which made him wonder…

"What store are we visiting anyways?"

He noticed his little sister visibly flinch from his question before slowing down, she turned her head towards him as she smiled, a blush on her face. "Y-you'll see! We're almost there." Haru started to quicken her pace again, seemingly a bit faster than the first time.

In a matter of minutes, they finally reached the front of the large store. Looking up, he saw the fancy design of the logo which was colored with a mix of light pink and dark red; the name of the store was called…

"Ruby's Roses?" Ryota questioned as he scratched the back of his head, "What is this, a new store?"

"Err… Something like that. Hey... y-you can go somewhere else if you like for a bit. We can meet up later after this store…" The little sister was blushing, something that her older brother didn't miss. He couldn't help but wonder why she seemed a bit nervous about going into this store, but he disregarded it.

"Well, there isn't anywhere else I want to go today besides you helping me out, so I'll just come with you. Besides, this is the last store, right? So let's just hurry up."

Ryota started walking inside the store despite his little sister's protests of telling him to "wait!" or "stop!". As they both entered the store, he noticed it was another fashion store judging by all of the mannequins on display. The difference, however, was that it seemed like it was exclusively only for women as he stepped inside. The ratio of women and men in the store was noticeable, the only men here were presumably with their girlfriends.

Suddenly, the young man started to feel a tug on his shirt and as he turned around he noticed that Haru shot daggers into his amber eyes as she sported a blushing pout. He felt himself flinch as she did. "Just do me one favor Ryota, just sit down in that corner for the time being, okay?" His little sister demanded.

"Okay, okay, relax. Just let me know when you're done..."

He watched as his little sister quickly going towards the back of the store. What was her problem anyway? She seemed very defensive towards him regarding coming inside this store. But as he started to look around the store, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. It was as if something bad was going to happen, but he couldn't tell what.

'_Maybe it's just my imagination…'_ He thought as he sat down. For the time being, at least he could at least-

"Huh?"

The brown-haired boy started to feel his pockets as he got up from his resting spot. He started to panic as he searched each shopping bag he had thoroughly, his anxiety and heartbeat increasing with each second. Finally, with a sigh he found his smartphone hiding deep inside one of the plastic bags.

"Thank god… I thought I was screwed. Ah!" The young man started to press the power button, but the only response that his phone gave was the battery empty sign. "I guess I forgot to charge it last night. I think Haru has the portable charger…"

Leaving the shopping bags behind with his coat, he got up and headed straight where her little sister was. And as he quickly entered he looked towards his left, finding his little sister back as she held a piece of clothing. "Hey Haru, do you have- WHAT THE-!"

His startled little sister turned around, a deep red blush on her face as she held a piece of adult lingerie close to her chest. He then noticed his surroundings; the back part of the store was dedicated to lingerie judging by all of the girl mannequins dressed in them. Ryota looked at all the different sections dedicated to different types of bras and underwear he didn't even know existed. And what made him even more embarrassed was that a few of the women in the store started to look at him as he blushed.

"B-big brother… I told you to stay back there! What are you doing here?!" Haru embarrassingly questioned in a low pitched voice as she clutched the black floral bra closer to her chest.

"I-I should be saying that to you!" He whispered, "You're not even in high school yet! Why do you even need these types of clothes?! Do you even have a boyfriend?!"

"Hey!" She softly hissed, her voice started to rise just a bit. "I'm one year away from being a high schooler! Plus, I don't need a boyfriend just yet for stuff like this! You wouldn't understand girl stuff like this, so go away already!"

The older brother sighed as he dragged his hands along his face. There was no point arguing with his little sister about this type of thing. Besides, it was her money so she can spend it on anything she wanted to. But he couldn't help but feel a bit both embarrassed and uncomfortable seeing his little sister buying undergarments like _those_. He thought she was just a bit too young for those types of things!

"Just hurry up." He turned around, quickly shifting his gaze downwards. "I'm going outside this store and forget that this happened- Woah!"

As Ryota went around the corner, he had bumped straight into someone, presumably a girl, almost around his height, head-on. The girl had let out a quiet yelp as they both fell to the ground, but somehow they didn't catch anyone's attention. Both Ryota and the mysterious girl rubbed their foreheads, trying to somehow ease the searing pain they had.

"Oh gosh! Big brother, you're always embarrassing me somehow! Miss, are you okay?"

'_You're not even worried about me…?!' _He thought as he got up, one hand on his forehead the other extending towards the girl. "Ow… Sorry about that." Ryota slowly opened his eyes to see the person he had collided into. "Here, let me help youuuuuuu…. Uh oh..."

The young man froze in shock as his eyes widen tenfold. He had just realized who he was offering help too. He tried to get words out, but he couldn't. An unexpected event in the worse possible setting was starting to unfolding right in front of him. It didn't let his brain process anything. His blush, now a deep red, was spreading all over his face as he looked at poor Yuri Shizuka, on the floor, rubbing her forehead in pain.

"Uuuuuu… M-my apologies, I should've been- AH! R-R-Ryota?!" The purple hair maiden yelped with a shaky voice as a heavy red blush appeared on her face. She felt her body stiffen up as she looked into the amber eyes of her crush. Instinctively, she buried her hands into her face to hide her embarrassment. "W-w-w-what are you doing in a place like this?!"

"Uh, well you see, um-!"

"Hey, Yuri!" A familiar voice rang out from around the corner. As soon as he heard and recognized the voice, he felt his soul left his body, while a short, pink-haired petite named Natsuki Kanakura appeared, holding a few matching pairs of pink panties and bras. "Have you seen- Huh?"

Natsuki's eyes shifted to the young man (who she may or may not have a crush on…) to her fallen friend, back to him, once more towards Yuri, then finally she looked down towards her undergarments she was holding. Her nonchalant face faltered as it slowly transformed into a look of both embarrassment and anger. A bright red blush formed on her cheeks as she held the undergarments closer to her chest, taking on a defensive form.

It looked like she was going to explode in anger; something that the young man was not quite used to yet, despite knowing each other for quite a while now. He braced himself for the incoming scolding from her, but to his surprise, it never came.

As he looked towards Natsuki, he saw that her body was slightly shaking as her head was shifted downwards. And then finally, just like a volcano erupting, she shouted, "You… I… I always knew it! You… you… YOU PERVERTED BLOCKHEAD!" Surprisingly, however, she only caught a few people's attention.

"W-wait! I can explain!" Ryota insisted, but as much as he tried to explain, the shorter girl didn't listen at all. '_This situation can't get any worse!'_

"Natsuki? What's going on-? AH! R-R-Ryota?!" The young man felt like an invisible sword pierced through his stomach, making his pale face freeze once more. Slowly, just like an old machine twisting its gears once more, he turned his head towards the source of the voice. He watched as his childhood friend dropped a few pieces of clothing, right before picking it up and hiding it behind her back. "W-what are you doing here?!"

'_AND IT JUST DID!'_

"Haha… Um… Hey big sis Sayori…!" The younger sister greeted as she poked her head out behind her brother.

"Eh?! Haru too?! Why are you two here together?!"

"Wait that's his little sister?!" Natsuki questioned. She took a good look at his little sister and saw the same matching amber yellow eyes before staring into Ryota's own. She narrowed her own pink eyes at him before running behind Sayori. "...Don't tell me you're a siscon! **[1]**"

"WHAT?! Where'd you get that idea from?! Guys just let me-!"

"A-ah!" Another voice rang out. Ryota sighed. He wasn't even surprised anymore as he already knew who it was. It was to be expected; if the girls of the literature club were all in one area, then that means the leader would be here too.

In this short amount of time, he was already tired of all the surprises today. But hopefully, knowing the understanding and caring type of personality she has, maybe she would let him explain his side of the story. He turned towards Monika Tachibana, who held a few shopping bags behind her back, averting her gaze with a heavy blush on her face. "W-well… Fancy seeing you here Ryota… Ahaha…"

"Monika, I can explain why I'm in this type of store. If the rest of you can just let me-"

"Um… excuse me, dear customers?" They all turned towards the female employee, "Can you all please lower down your voices? You all are disturbing the rest of the customers…"

In unison, the six of them looked at their surroundings to see most of the customers looking at them as they talked amongst themselves. The young man, however, felt more embarrassed than the others; for some reason, he felt that the customers thought he was a two-timer- well, in this case, a four-timer, who just got caught by all of his lovers red-handed.

Embarrassed and somewhat ashamed of themselves, they all apologized in unison; silently agreeing with each other that leaving the store would be the best option to take to avoid the awkwardness.

* * *

"And so because of this one," Ryota said as he places a hand on his little sister's head before continuing, "That's the reason why I was in that store. Now, do you guys believe me?"

Besides the background noises of the food court, the sounds of Sayori sipping on her straw from her almost empty paper cup fills the air around them. "Mmm… Well, I believe you Ryota! I know you wouldn't just wander into a store like that without any reason." The childhood friend's gaze shifts onto Haru, "But I didn't even know you were old enough for that type of stuff already Haru! Ehehe~ Time really does fly…"

Natsuki pouts as she crosses her arms. A blush which colors rivaled her hair was now spread on her face. "Well, I guess I can forgive you. And sorry for calling you a perverted blockhead… But that doesn't mean you are off the hook just yet. I've still got my eyes on you, blockhead!"

"N-Natsuki!" Yuri suddenly exclaimed, catching everyone's attention. "H-he already explained himself! I'm sure that he wouldn't have any other reasons to be in that type of store either."

"I agree," Monika said, her chin placed onto her hands. "We all know he isn't like that!" Monika then glances her way towards Ryota, flashing a kind smile.

In response, he smiles and lets out a sigh. "Thank you, guys. Seriously though, I can't believe my luck with you guys being in the same store as me."

The three girls nodded in agreement as they giggled beside the pink-haired girl. Instead, she lets silent a "Hmph!" escape her lips as she directed her gaze towards the awfully quiet little sister, "Anyways you're his sister right? What's your name again?"

"O-oh!" She squeaked. Suddenly, the youngest one stands from her seat to introduce herself. "M-my name is Haru Shujinkou! I'm 15-years-old and I am in my last year of m-middle school! Thank you for taking care of my older brother!" Haru respectfully does a small bow towards them.

"A-ah! N-no… It's more like he's the one taking care of us…" Yuri softly smiles towards herself, sneaking in a few glances at the boy as she blushes. "A-anyways, my name is Yuri Shizuka. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Natsuki." The pink petite waved, "Your brother is a big handful you know!" She snickered, showing a smug smile towards Ryota. The boy simply smiled, rolling his eyes in response.

"I believe we already met before, but I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Monika Tachibana, it's nice to meet you!"

"Ehhhh? You've already Haru before?" Sayori shot Monika a confused look, "When was this?"

Both Natsuki and Yuri also glanced towards their club president, curiosity also filled their faces. In response, the brunette lets out a nervous laugh and explained they met around a month ago. She had accidentally stumbled onto a bad situation; it was like she was a soldier carefully crossing a field filled with landmines. Just one wrong move and it can go south real quick, so she had to use her words very carefully.

But before she can go into detail about that certain day, Ryota suddenly stands up. He had sensed her nervousness, and understood the situation she was in and didn't want to get involved into it too; a girl coming into his house on Valentine's Day would carry many implications. That's when he decided to take action and help her out just a bit.

"Ah, well she caught both of us one day by the train station, but we had to catch our stop quickly so we didn't have much time to talk. Anyways, I've got to go to the bathroom so I'll be right back." As he leaves, Monika silently lets out a sigh of relief and inwardly thanks him for preventing that awkward conversation.

Haru had flashed an all-knowing smile towards her brother as he left, something that he didn't miss, '_Hmm, that was smooth, big brother. Nice save!' _She thought.

"Oooh, that makes sense." Sayori now locks onto Haru's eyes, excitement in her own, "Anyways Haru, are you coming into our school when you graduate? If you are, you totally should join our club! If you didn't know, I'm the-"

"Vice-President, right?"

"Vice- Eh? You knew?!"

"Hmmm. Well, big brother mentioned it to me a few times. He was surprised that you were the Vice President of the club though. You know, he said he was a bit skeptical about you being the VP of the club at first. But then he said that in the end, you were well suited for the role."

In response, Sayori silently giggles, scratching her cheek with a faint blush on her face. "Aw… He's just flattering me…"

"In any case Haru," Monika said, "I think you should join our literature club! It's a small club, but I promise you'll fit right in."

"I agree. The literature club has become a little sanctuary for all of us, I'm sure that you'll like it as much as your brother." Yuri added on with a small smile.

Natsuki, with her arms crossed again, also followed up as she said, "As long as you help me keep your brother in check, I promise you won't have any trouble with any of us."

The little sister was flattered as she looked at their eyes. Haru saw that their eyes were filled with hope that she would say yes and become an official member. But most of all, she felt some sort of warmth from them. She couldn't call it something like a motherly one, but it was more like a friendly and welcoming one; it felt like that same warmth was calling her forth to it. '_Maybe this is why Ryota likes this club so much… they all seem so nice…!'_

"Well…" As Haru starts to speak, one by one the girl's eyes began to lit up, anticipating her answer. But as for the president and her second in command, they were on the edge of their seats. After all, those two are the ones who really want to expand the club. "You guys are putting a good offer right now, and you all seem like a really friendly bunch. But I need to see my options first! Plus I got to graduate first."

The club president lets out an exhale through her nose. She seemed just a tad disappointed just like the rest of her members, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she lets out a smile towards her. Besides, she did understand her answer since she is still in middle school. But the brunette still held onto hope that she could consider her club.

"Well, that is understandable Haru." Monika said, "I don't want to pressure you or anything, but our offer still stands if you haven't found any clubs next year."

"No problem Monika. But can I ask all of you guys a question?"

The four looked at her curiously. As they did so, Haru hid a devilish smirk. The moment that they all gathered together in that store, she knew she had to ask this one question. But she just didn't know when to strike. So with much patience and silence, she waited for the opportunity, and now as she stared into their curious blue, pink, purple, and emerald eyes, she knew it was finally here. Like a snake slithering around its prey, she struck.

"Do you guys like my brother?" She asked with fake innocence in her eyes.

The atmosphere around them became quiet, not a single one of the four said a word as they slowly processed the simple question in mind. But then, one by one the quartet all blushed as they went into a state of panic as it finally went through their heads. They all began to fidget nervously, trying desperately to hide the blushes on their faces as they all started to avoid any eye contact what-so-ever with Haru.

The young girl couldn't help but silently giggle towards herself as she watched. Oh, how obvious it was that they all had crushes on him! She just knew she had to play around with them for just a bit.

Suddenly, Natsuki stands up from her seat as she quickly slams both hands on the table, her face blushing furiously as she did. "W-w-who would like a blockhead like him?!"

"Huh?" Haru tilts her head to the right, a feign a look of confusion on her face, "I mean, he does have a lot of good points about him. So I don't see a reason why anyone wouldn't like him."

As she said this, the pink petite slowly sits down in her seat in response as she huffs, "W-well. You're kinda right, he does have a few good points… But still! Who would like… a guy like him…" Natsuki quietly mumbles the last few words, looking away from the group as she crossed her arms, blushing.

'_Ouuu. Is this what you would call a tsundere? I didn't know they existed!'_ The little sister then smirked, deciding to tease them with another with a simple statement that was, "Even though he has a lot of good points, I'm a bit surprised though that he doesn't have a girlfriend yet… Hmmm. Maybe he received a confession from one of the girls in your school already!"

The quartet tensed up in unison as she said that, causing Haru to giggle towards herself. "Then again, he _is _my dummy older brother. So he probably wouldn't be that popular. But who knows."

Sayori then caught the younger girl's attention by clearing her throat, "H-Haru, let's switch topics! You really shouldn't ask questions like that!"

"Ehhhh? What's wrong with a simple question like that? It's just a yes or no kind of question…" Haru said with an innocent look on her face.

Sayori shifts her gaze away from Haru as she blushes, she touches the tips of her pointer fingers together as she does so, "W-well to answer your question, um… I guess... not really?" Sayori answered as her eyes dart back and forth, something that Haru caught on. The childhood friend felt like she just punched herself in the gut for telling such a lie, but she didn't want to reveal to her friends her longtime crush just yet.

"Ehhh, I see big sis. What a shame though." Haru said, putting on a fake frown. '_Oh, Sayori..._ _You're so easy to read sometimes!'_

Haru then shot a look at the purple-hair maiden who was casting her gaze downwards as she played with her hair. "What about you Yuri?"

As she said her name, Yuri lets a "Kyah!" escape her lips as she tenses up. "Ah! I-I a-apologize, I wasn't listening… W-what was your question again?"

"Do you like my brother?"

The purple-haired maiden's face was now red from embarrassment from that question as her heartbeat's tempo started to quicken, "NO!" She quickly answered. But before Haru or any of the girls can respond, she said, "I-I mean yes! But no! No wait, w-what I meant is…! Umm... Uuuuuuuu…. I'm just going to stop now…" Yuri said as she buried her blushing face into her hands.

'_I don't think I can tease Yuri that much in the future…' _Haru cleared her throat, "Well… I guess what you're trying to say is that you like him, but not in that way, right?"

Yuri, who is still burying her face in her hands nods in agreement. But if actually saw her face, they would see just a hint of sadness mixed in with embarrassment. While she did want to admit she does have a crush on him, she just wouldn't know how the others would react and it somewhat made her a bit scared.

"I see… What a shame as well…" The younger sister said. '_It's pretty obvious that she likes him too…' _Her gaze was now on the club president, "What about you Monika?"

"O-oh! Ummm…!" The club president pauses for a moment, looking away from her crush's little sister as she scratches her blushing cheek, "Ahaha… Well… Sayori is right, we should switch topics! After all, talking about something like this is a bit…"

"Ehhhh… Come on Monika! We're all girls here! Besides, it's not like I'm going to tell him!"

'_That's not that easy right now…' _The club president thought to herself, '_If I tell her my true feelings about Ryota, I just don't know how the others will react! It might even damage our friendships…' _Monika lets out a nervous laugh, "I'd rather not say. It's a bit embarrassing to talk about this."

"Talk about what?"

The club president flinches in shock and turns around to see Ryota's curious face as he grows closer to her. The four all look away from him with rosy cheeks, adding even more onto his confusion. '_What's going on?' _He thought.

Haru, however, pouts as a slightly annoyed expression was on her face. She lets out a silent, "Tch," before her expression changes once more to a more relaxed one, "Nothing. Just talking about girl stuff! You wouldn't understand, big brother."

'_Something tells me I shouldn't dig deeper into this…' _Ryota thought as he scratched the back of his head, "Well, I guess you're right…"

"Anyways big brother," Haru pulls out her phone for him to see, "I think it's about time we leave sadly… We need to _pick up_ what we need for mom and dad before the store closes later, right?" As she said that, she gave a little wink, hoping that her brother got the hint.

"Oh! Ah crap, you're right! Sorry guys, we have to go." He picked up a few plastic bags filled with clothes before he put on his jacket. '_I completely forgot that we came here to buy them presents for White Day! Thank god Haru remembered.'_

"Ah! W-well that is a shame…" Yuri solemnly remarked.

"Well yeah… I wish I can stay here a bit longer with you four. Are you guys going to stay here in the mall for a bit?"

"Hmm," Monika hummed as she looked at the other three, "Are you three done shopping? I'm pretty much done."

"Well, there is a store or two that I do want to go to," Natsuki replied, crossing her arms as Sayori nodded in agreement.

"I see. Well, what about you Yuri?"

"Ah. I suppose I can remain here a bit longer…"

"I guess you have your answer Ryota." Monika smiled, "We'll see each other tomorrow, right?"

"Of course." He replied, "Well then, I'll see you four tomorrow at school then. Come on Haru."

"Right. Anyways," The little sister respectfully bows once more as she says, "It was nice meeting you all! See you guys again!" She waved.

"It was nice meeting you too Haru! Though please think about my offer of joining our club!" Monika waved back.

Yuri smiles as she also waved back. "It was a pleasure meeting you too Haru. I hope to see you again."

"See ya again. Don't forget to keep your brother in check for me!" Natsuki smirked.

On the other hand, Sayori quickly gets up from her seat before giving Haru a tight hug, "Aww, see you again Haru. Be sure to visit me from time to time!"

The little sister squeezed back, "No problem big sis Sayori!"

As soon as they both release from their hug, Sayori then looks towards her childhood crush, "You too! You don't visit me as much as when we were younger." She pouts, arms open for a hug.

"That's because we practically see each other every day." He answers, quickly hugging back as he does so. But what he couldn't see was that Sayori blushed as she hugged him, burying her face into his coat. She wished that this moment could last forever or even a couple of more seconds, but sadly, they disconnected from each other. She gives him a blushing smile, mixed in with a hint of sadness, as they move apart. "Well then, see you guys tomorrow." He said, waving towards them as he and his sister both started to leave.

As they watched their crush leave, the four couldn't help but think the same one thing as they set their eyes on the back of his little sister, '_Maybe she might be a little troublemaker_ _in the club if she keeps asking questions like that…'_

…

…

…

"Thank god you reminded me that we have to get them gifts for White Day! Thanks, Lil sis."

Haru proudly smirks, "Of course! Anytime big brother. But then again, I do have to help you pick them out. But talking with them made me understand their personalities just a bit. So it might be a bit easier," She remarked as she stretched her arms upwards.

"Right…" He said as he scratched the back of his head, "Hey… while I was gone, you didn't ask anything weird? Or say anything about me?"

"Pfft. Of course not!" Haru lied naturally as she breathed. "It was just girls talk really. But I like them so far! They're all so friendly and even Monika offered to join your club."

"I was meaning to ask you that. Well, do you?"

"Hmm, I do have to graduate first though. But I'll let you know first~!" She replied. As they kept walking further and further, a grin started to form on her face. Before he knew it, the sounds of her giggling caught his attention. In response, he curiously starts to raise his eyebrow.

"Huh? What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Just thinking to myself~!" Haru smiled.

...

...

...

'_I was just thinking how fun next year is going to be playing cupid with you and those four!'_

**_THE END…?_**

* * *

[1] Siscon- Y'all ever watched Oriemo? Me neither, heard the ending was a bit weird. Anyways, siscon, also known as a sister complex, is when a person begins to develop strong feelings towards their sister. Obviously, our protagonist isn't a siscon, but I just wanted to add in a little joke. In some harems anime, it's usually the sister who has feelings for the MC, you would call that one a brocon. But they're usually added in as a gag. Take the series BokuBen as an example.

* * *

**AN:** **And there we go. The end? Or is it?**

**…**

**Just jokin' this is the end of this story. Man, I really didn't want to finish this story a whole year after I published it. Really sorry about that again. **

**You know, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm quite sad that this story is done. I always loved DDLC stories that revolved around the girls and the MC having a good time, also while expanding on them… kinda like a slice of life mixed in with a bit of romance for spice type of series. There aren't many stories like that, so that's why I wanted to create one. But now that this is done, it makes me want to write a bit more.**

**But as you all may know, all things come and go. Including this one. I do want to continue my other fic, but we'll see how that goes. And again, I do have other fanfictions in mind for DDLC. They'll probably be in the same universe as this one, or not.**

**Anyways, to end this off, thank you to all the readers who've read this far (and the ones who've reviewed, don't worry I've read them), especially the ones who read this story year ago and haven't unfavorited it or something. You have my gratitude.**

**Have a good day/night!**


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